STRATEGIC LEARNING AND ADAPTATION ADVISOR 153 views0 applications

CARE seeks a Strategic Learning and Adaptation Advisor for the anticipated USAID-funded Kayd for Somalia Resilient and Inclusive Economic Development (RIED) activity. The activity seeks to accelerate economic recovery in south-west Somalia by increasing individual, household, community, and systemic resilience through rural and urban economic diversification. This procurement is approximately in the range of $50-100 million and will be released in February 2022.

This position is open to Somali and international candidates and is contingent upon award and funding. Somali candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. The position is anticipated to be based in Mogadishu with frequent travels to the field.

The SLA Advisor will ensure principles of collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) are recognized and acted on as core elements of the activity. He/she will also ensure the activity includes active, intentional, and adaptive learning within and across interventions. Additionally, the SLA Advisor will lead peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application, activity-based capacity strengthening, and evidence and data utilization in support of adaptive management. He/she will also ensure appropriate and continued coordination and joint-planning with other USAID and other donor activities, host-government initiatives, and private sector engagement.

Primary responsibilities:

Develop Learning and Influencing Strategy

• Engage senior program staff to ensure that CARE, partners and stakeholders including communities think reflectively, analytically, and usefully about project processes, impact and consequences.
• Ensure the project’s activity includes active, intentional, and adaptive learning within and across its multi-sectoral interventions, serving as an integral participant in incorporating all Refine and Implement (‘Refinement’) activities into implementation. This includes USG, host country government, international donors, multilateral organizations, and private sector investments.
• Identify strategic investments in learning and adaptive management through capacity building and strengthening adaptive management systems.

Develop and strengthen adaptive management approaches and promote the application of innovative practices on the delivery of flexible and adaptive activity

• Examine activity review processes and develop review guidelines to ensure that reviews incorporate strategies to strengthen adaptive management.
• Establish a functional Feedback Complaint Response Mechanism (FCRM) to ensure that the feedback is encouraged, captured, and reviewed periodically for emerging trends, lessons, and potential gaps to be addressed by capacity building.
• Institutionalize and strengthen the Fidelity of Implementation approach to programming.
• Coordinate bi-annual review and adaptations meetings.
• Improve/facilitate community engagement, peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application, activity-based capacity strengthening, and evidence and data utilization in support of adaptive management both within and beyond initial refinement.

Coordinate the development and roll out of the activity research strategy

• Lead the development of a coherent but flexible research strategy.
• Identify learning themes for in-depth exploration to understand underlying factors influencing livelihood resilience of ultra-marginalized communities/persons.
• Lead project research aimed at increasing inclusivity of marginalized groups in local market systems.
• Production of learning products, dissemination and influencing
• Lead the production of briefs, case studies and reader-friendly documentation for dissemination of results in country, both at government/donor level and at community-level.

Staff Capacity Building

• Develop coherent, holistic, and systemic capacity building plans for enhancing learning and adaptive management and skills building.
• Provide mentoring to staff at all levels to support reflection, documentation of results and refinement of project systems and approaches.
• Improve/facilitate community engagement, peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application, activity-based capacity strengthening, and evidence and data utilization in support of adaptive management both within and beyond initial refinement.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field plus a minimum of five years of work experience, or a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience required.
• Demonstrated research experience, through peer-reviewed publication or documentation, in Somalia or similar contexts required.
• Significant experience leading field research processes and programs, and working on USAID-funded programs, required.
• Prior experience working with food security, resilience, and/or urban-rural livelihoods linkages projects.
• Familiarity with Participatory Learning and Action and other qualitative and quantitative research approaches.
• Proven leadership experience in organizational and peer-to-peer learning, capacity strengthening, and collaborative learning and adaptation.
• Familiarity with adaptive management in complex and diverse programming contexts
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships and productive working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH) as evidenced in previous management positions and programming.
• Ability to translate complex and complicated ideas into easily accessible and understandable concepts and/or messages particularly for Somali audience; knowledge of tools for communicating program learning.
• Excellent, high-level, demonstrated written and oral communications skills in English is required.
• Ability to travel to program areas as may be required and as the security situation allows.